Boeheim’s Army Wins TBT Opener in Dominant Fashion

The Syracuse basketball alumni team advanced to the second round.

After a slow start, a dominant second and third quarter pushed Boeheim’s Army to a 99-83 win over Team Gibson in the first round of the 2023 The Basketball Tournament (TBT) on Monday. 

It did not look good out the gate for Boeheim’s Army in their opening round of the TBT tournament in the OnCenter. Last minute scratches from Tyus Battle (who could come back for games later this week) and Matt Morgan left questions about whether or not they’d have enough creation from their guards to get it done. Taj Gibson’s creatively named Team Gibson came out hot on a 13-2 run, coming out with high defensive intensity, seemingly beating Boeheim’s Army to every loose ball and offensive board, while also going 4-5 from three in the first quarter. However, that would be as bright a spot they would get during the game. The trio off the bench of DeAndre Kane, Andrew White III, and Rakeem Christmas seemed to settle down the troops and infused some offensice efficiency. Team Gibson had no answer for Christmas’s physicality in the post and rim protection presence, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.

After a Chris McCullough drive and finished tied things up at 18 after the first quarter, Boeheim’s Army went on a 30-13 second quarter run that essentially buried the game there. Dwight Buyucks and Grant Riller stepped up in the backcourt combined for 15 points in the second quarter, and Andrew White III buried two three’s en route to his game-high 20 points (along with Grant Riller) on 8-9 shooting. He made all four of this three point attempts Boeheim’s Army lead by 17 at halftime and 26 by the end of the third, so with the outcome never really in question, BJ Johnson’s disrespectful poster on Navar Elmore in the middle of the 4th was the punctation that sent Team Gibson home and Boeheim’s Army to the regional quarterfinals against The Nerd Team, who ousted the Syracuse alums from last year’s TBT tournament.

“We’re looking forward to it, we had a bad taste in our mouth last year.” said Rakeem Christmas, after WSYR’s Alex Sims asked about the rematch with The Nerd Team. “We just have to come out here, play smart, don’t overthink, and we’ll be fine.” The former five-star appeared confident as he and his teammates make their way through the bracket, and you can catch that clash between Boeheim’s Army and The Nerd Team Wednesday at 6 PM on ESPN2.

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